Past Our Past
by anonnatymousMARTIN
Summary: Life isn't as happy go lucky as they would seem in the Potter household. With memories that once belonged to Snape and Dumbledore, one wouldn't be surprised that a certain boy wizard would become interested in viewing them. Nine years after DH Epilogue.


**Past Our Past**  
>By sMARTIN<p>

Albus S. and Lily L. fic, ft. Crazy!Harry, Jerk!James S.  
>Abuse, insanity, character death and kinda OOC.<p>

Description: Life isn't as happy go lucky as they would seem in the Potter household. With memories that once belonged to Snape and Dumbledore, one wouldn't be surprised that a certain boy wizard would become interested in viewing them. Nine years after DH Epilogue.

**Warning: suicide **

* * *

><p>Two adolescences were in a dusty and dimly lit office stacked full of boxes and strange trinkets. One of them, a boy with gelled back black hair and emerald green eyes, was kneeling down on the ground, carefully going through a box full of vials containing blue strands within them beside the large basin while the other, a girl with long dark red hair tied in a plat and hazel eyes, stood beside the boy, biting her lip.<p>

"Al, it's not healthy," the girl, Lily, whispered, "What we're doing. It just isn't. I know it isn't."

"Lily, be quiet," Albus said quietly, trying to find a particular vial, "If you do not want to join me, you can just leave. I can take care of myself."

"Al..."

"Shush!"

Lily closed her mouth but began fidgeting. Albus raised a vial and examined the contents in the narrow beam of light from the covered window.

"What if dad finds out?" Lily asked after a long silence.

Albus didn't reply at first. They both knew what Harry Potter would do to Albus when he finds out.

"... He would not," he said decisively, "Unless you break your promise and tell him."

Lily looked outrage at the notion.

"Al! I wouldn't do that. You're my brother. I never break my promises."

Albus stopped moving for a moment, his expression turning bitter.

"Neither would I. But James is your brother too," he stated hollowly.

Lily sighed, plopping herself down beside Albus.

"I know but he doesn't _act_ like a brother and that's why you two are so different. Just because he's older than us he thinks he could make fun of us and just because you're a Slytherin and I'm a girl he makes our lives ten times worst. But you Al, you're my best brother. You understand me. You listen to me. You stand up for me. You care about me. And you don't laugh at me or think I can't do anything because I'm a girl. I'm just trying to do the same for you. Why won't you let me help you?"

Albus stared at the ground for a long moment before turning to look at his sister.

"I know you care for me too and I appreciate it. But this is something I have to do-."

"No it isn't-!"

"Listen, Lils. It is," Albus said sharply, "While people say great things about the name sake of James and you, everyone falls quiet when it comes to me except for father and all father talks about is that Snape is the bravest man he has ever known and Dumbledore's the boss. I mean, think about it. Who is Albus Dumbledore? Who is Severus Snape? And why has father treated each of us differently? You must have noticed how he spoils James and loves you heaps. What about me? Why I was never allowed to be a kid? Why am I always ignored? Why do I have to wear James hand-me-downs? Why has father taught James to bully us? Why did I have to be the potions genius? When we asked father he would pretend to not know what we're talking about and we know how horrible he is at lying. And father never really talks about when he was a kid and his Hogwarts years. He could have told us and we would not have told anyone else- we are his children for Merlins sake! But now we know why he treats me the way he does and why he's so famous and we only found out through these memories that he has put away, to be ignored and to be faded. If he doesn't want these memories then I will."

Lily fell silent, her eyes showing her processing his words before she gave a slow reluctant nod.

"You're right," Lily said, "'Wit beyond measure is man's greatest treasure' - Rowena Ravenclaw. I wanted to know too... But we've seen all we need. We don't need to see anymore."

"Well I do. Snape fascinates me and Dumbledore's a second coming Merlin," Albus said before sounding sarcastic, "An hour of memory viewing equates to viewing a year's worth of memories. I am quite surprised father managed to get most of Dumbledore's memories from his memory cabinet without being caught and that dad was given all of Snape's memories before Snape died. So many memories, so much advanced ancient and experimental magic to learn... Think of the unfinished research that we can complete for them! I mean, why would I not be interested in more? I am after all Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Severus Harry James Dumbledore-Snape-Potter and have been treated as such by a man who I thought was great..."

They sat in silence for a while and then Lily wrapped her arms around Albus. Albus stiffened, still not use to affection that he rarely received compared to his siblings, before slowly wrapping his arms around Lily.

When Lily let Albus go, she looked straight into Albus's eyes and told him strongly, "I'm not letting you do this alone."

A corner of Albus's lip twitched upward.

"You have not allowed me since the beginning," Albus said.

He held the vial up again and raised an eyebrow at Lily.

"For the future of Magic?" Albus invited, sounding insecure.

Lily smiled and wrapped her hand around Albus's and the vial.

"For the future of Magic." Lily agreed happily.

Albus uncorked the vial and together they poured the contents into the Pensieve before plunging their heads in at the same time.

O.o.O

A few weeks later, Albus and Lily were preparing for another trip into the basement office. Just as they walked down the stairs from their bedroom to the main landing, a voice stopped them in their tracks.

"I know you're both up to something."

Albus and Lily stopped in their tracks and turned to see their oldest brother walking into the house, his muddy boots making mud tracks on the wooden flooring, his broomstick in his hand and the other ran through his messy hair.

"And when I find out, I'm going to tell dad on you."

"What do you want, James," Albus said evenly, wary.

"Well, I don't know. Maybe a bit of fun. You and I, right now, on the floor. I need a bit of something to relieve my tension," James replied, giving a nasty smirk and rolling his shoulders as he ambled towards Albus who instinctively shrunk back.

Lily stood infront of Albus, her arms out to protect Albus.

"Stay right where you are, James Potter," Lily said, her temper beginning to rise.

"Oh look! A girl trying to act tough, ay? It's universally known that girls are weaker than boys. I think I told you that many times before," James sneered, his smirk widening.

"Why you little-!"

Albus placed a hand on Lily's shoulder to calm her but his eyes were on James.

"May I just remind you that Lily has owned your arse many times over?" Albus drawled.

"Shut up, fairy," James growled, raising a fist as a warning which Albus flinched at.

Lily's eyes flashed.

"Leave him alone!" Lily said spitefully.

"I'll do whatever I want, thanks." James said, cracking his knuckles.

"Why are you still here anyway? Girlfriend kicked you out?" Lily hissed.

The cockiness gone, James glared at Lily.

"I don't need to justify myself to you," James spat.

He then looked around.

"Where's dad?" James asked, changing the topic, "I want a new broomstick."

"Yours looks perfectly fine," Albus observed, scanning the broomstick with his eyes.

"Yeah it may _look_ like it but it's not because _this_ is the reason I lost the game again," James grudgingly explained in the way an adult would explain to a three year old child, "Since I'm brilliant, the broomstick has to be faulty."

"If you deflated your overlarge head a bit, maybe you wouldn't lose so much and you wouldn't have to waste dad's money and be holding a stable job." Lily snapped.

"Shut up, chit. Don't tell me how to run my life," James snarled, "I'm the heir of the Potter family so everything you own now will soon belong to me. You better start kneeling on the floor before me and ask for forgiveness or you'll get nothing."

"Then you can keep on dreaming because that will never happen."

"Oh yeah?" James dared.

Before either Lily or Albus knew what was happening, James snapped his broomstick over his knee in half. Even though Lily and Albus didn't care for broomsticks, they felt their hearts tear at seeing the custom made and extremely expensive broomstick being broken deliberately.

"Nooooo!" James bellowed, his fake anguish sounded quite real while grinning horribly at his younger siblings.

"Oh no." Lily whispered, turning to look at Albus fearfully.

Albus didn't move. He couldn't move. The tremors in his hand magnified. He stared at the broken pieces on the ground, his eyes wide.

The sound of hurried footsteps came from the attic, down the stairs and then those feet came to a stop at the foot of the steps. It was their father. He surveyed the situation, his eyes then zoomed in on the broken broomstick and immediately they snapped onto Albus.

"James, who did this?" Mr Potter said dangerously, his eyes boring into Albus.

"It wasn't Al-." Lily tried to explain.

"Lily. I was asking your brother not you," Mr Potter cut in.

"But daddy..."

Mr Potter ignored her.

"It was Albus Severus, dad," James said excitedly behind his father, not even bothering to hide his glee, "He did it. He was jealous again. He took it off me and snapped it in half."

Mr Potter's anger flared up and he looked very dangerous. Albus gulped, shrinking back until his back hit the nearest wall. The glint in Mr Potter's eyes then was almost soulless.

"Father, I swear I did not," Albus whispered weakly but he knew his father would never believe him.

"If there is one thing I hate, it is liars," Mr Potter snarled, the scars on the back of his hand gave a strange glow.

"I am sorry sir," Albus began to grovel, "I apologise. Please sir-."

Grabbing Albus roughly by the scruff of his collar, Harry Potter dragged him up the stairs. Lily looked at James who could barely contain his laughter. After all these years, she still couldn't believe how blind her father is and how mean James is. She hurried after them, trying to stop her father from making another mistake, to have his see the truth.

"Dad! Please, daddy! Stop! Albus didn't do it. It was James. He did it because he wanted Al to get into trouble again!" Lily tried to explain.

If anything, that made Mr Potter move faster.

When the door to the empty gloomy room closed on Lily and Lily heard faintly of Mr Potter shouting and Albus screaming, Lily couldn't help crying. She ran into her bedroom, closed the door and cried. It was her fault that James snapped his broomstick but why does James has to be so mean and dad being such an idiot? She was a big girl now, in her final year of Hogwarts, but still she was crying. It just wasn't fair! Why was her father treating Albus like Tobias had done to Snape and Vernon had done to Harry? It didn't make sense! She couldn't love her father. She didn't want to. She feels guilty all the time when her father shows her his love for her but then treats Albus the complete opposite. Albus didn't even do anything wrong. Father is completely insane. If only he keep the memories in his mind maybe he wouldn't be so unstable. It was no wonder why mum ran away.

Lily waited until everyone was asleep, meaning father and James, so she could check up on Albus. While she waited, she quietly packed her things in her Mokeskin pouch (which she had placed an Undetectable Extension Charm last summer) and then went to do the same for Albus. She packed clothes both Muggle and wizarding, their wands, books and text books, wands, toiletries, their large secret stash of money, their diaries and memory diaries and diagrams, their own creation the Traveller's Map of Hogwarts, a few trinkets such as two way mirrors and a strange pocket watch with a long chain Albus had found at Number Twelve, writing equipment and all their research papers as well as a few bags of pumpkin pasties which was also taken from their stash. She managed to stuff in Albus's secret laptop too. She nicked the Invisibility Cloak from James's second bedroom and then went down to the attic to nick more things such as their father's small pensieve, the boxes of memories, more books before climbing upstairs quietly until she came to the forbidden door.

Tapping the door knob with her Willow wood wand, the door opened silently to the gloomy room. It was eerie how the opened curtains allowed the moon's light to shine in and upon Albus's curled up naked body. His naked form wasn't anything Lily hadn't seen before. There were so many bruises, cuts and marks on his small body, it was hard to not find her eyes staring again. He looked so vulnerable, shivering, his arms wrapped around his knees and rocking back and forth.

"Al," Lily gently.

Albus flinched. He stopped rocking immediately and became very still. Except for his hand. It was always shaking ever since Mr Potter gave it one too many electric shocks three years ago.

"Lils?" Albus whispered croakily, broken.

His voice made Lily cringe but still, she approached her brother.

"Al. I'm here," Lily said, "I'm so sorry."

"I's not your fault," Albus mumbled.

Lily bit her lip. This time it was her fault. If only she didn't let her anger get the better of her.

When she was by his side, he knew it was her and leaned into her opened arms, hiding his face into her shoulder. She wrapped his body with a robe she had taken from Albus's small bedroom. In comparison between her and her brother, Lily looked older than Albus than two years but it was technically the other way around. He still felt so cold, so thin, so small...

"Lily..." he moaned softly.

"Are you hurt?" she asked in concern.

There was a pause before a quiet, "no" was murmured.

"I can see that you are," Lily said, trying hard to not roll her eyes at her brother's passive stubbornness.

Albus shifted but stilled quickly, emitting a long pained hiss.

"I have healed most of my injuries... stopped the blood flow from most cuts... The ones that matter at least," Albus informed, his voice sounding muffled.

"Is there anything I can do..?"

"I can manage," Albus said and smiled tightly.

Lily wasn't any good at healing spells nor would she be allowed to do much that it would end up alerting the Ministry of Magic of underage magic... even though there were three of age wizards in the house. Which wasn't something either of them wanted because their father would hurt Albus twice more. And their father works in the Ministry as the head of the Auror Department.

"The tremors in your hand..." Lily mentioned, her small, soft and warm hand cupping his long, shaky, cold and callous one, her hand stilling his.

"I know," Albus said quietly, "They are becoming much more noticeable recently. Something I cannot control I am afraid."

As though he only realised where they were, Albus turned to look up at Lily in alarm and winced at the sudden action.

"Lily," he said, his voice filled with panic, "You have to go. You have to go _now_. If father finds out you have visited me again-."

"This will be the last time this situation will happen," Lily said confidently.

Albus blinked a few times before saying clueless, "What do you mean?"

"We're leaving. Together."

Albus's eyebrows furrowed.

"_Now_?"

"Yes. Now. When else?"

Lily tried to get up but Albus was pulling her down.

"We cannot," Albus whispered urgently, "Father will kill me if he finds us. We both know he would be able to find us since he was able to find mum." Both of them shivered. "He would think I kidnapped you and wanted to... do things to you since I am Severus and you are Lily."

They shuddered again.

"We have to get out of here," Lily said with finality, "We'll change our identities, travel back though time, live in France... We'll do something! We're both brilliant so why not?"

"Father will kill me," Albus muttered.

"Not unless we hide extremely well," Lily said cryptically.

"You did not..." Albus whispered in horror.

"I did," Lily said, knowing Albus connected the dots to form that the Clock was in Lily's possession.

"This is all so sudden..." Albus muttered to the ground.

"Well, I've packed already. Can you walk?"

A strange surge of determination must have ran through Albus because he mustered all his strength to stand up, against the waves and pins of pain and say, "Yes."

Lily fought off a smile at Albus's show of determination.

"Good," Lily said and then handed Albus his Hawthorn wood wand, "Here."

"Thank you," Albus said, almost sighing in content.

"You're welcome. Now let's go," Lily said.

Albus didn't say anything and followed Lily with Lily's support as they climbed down the stairs together.

Just when they opened the front door, one of the bedroom doors upstairs slammed opened and out came their father.

"Run Albus!" Lily cried.

"No Lily. You run!" Albus said, equally distressed, "I-I'll hold him off!"

"Al, you're limping so our rates will be even. You go first!" Lily almost was shrieking.

"Neither of you are leaving this house unless I say so and I say no!" Mr Potter bellowed.

He raised his wand at Albus but Lily wouldn't stand by this time. She stood infront of Albus, aimed her wand at Mr Potter and yelled, "_Expelliarmus_!"

The wand whipped out of his hand and straight into Lily's. Mr Potter bellowed "Stop!" and began running down the stairs. Lily decided to do the complete opposite because she knew neither she nor Albus will survive the night if they stayed around. Without realising just which wand she had just disarmed from her father, Lily grabbed Albus by the arm and ran for it.

"Oh Lily. We are going to be in so much trouble." Albus moaned as he limp-ran.

Lily didn't want to admit it but she was afraid that their rushed plan would fail.

"Can you apparate us?" Lily asked.

"I can do many things that Father expected from me because Snape and Dumbledore could."  
>Lily tried not to think how robotic Albus's response was and continued on running, thinking of a destination but none coming up to mind that Mr Potter wouldn't go to look first.<p>

"SNAPE!" an anger filled voice bellowed from down the street they abandoned.

Albus's whole body froze and he shut his eyes tightly, his shoulder began shaking. Lily was frightened for her brother's life but it was not the time to cry!

"Oh no. He is really going to kill me this time." Albus squeaked.

Lily tugged on Albus's sleeve, looking fearfully behind their shoulders. She hated how Mr Potter made Albus turn from a brave and strong young man to a nervous and fretful child.

"Al, please focus!" Lily said, trying not the panic but at the same time she was, "You have to apparate us to somewhere that's safe! If I had my licence I would have but..."

"Safe... safe..." Albus murmured, thinking hard.

Abruptly without a warning, he stopped, grabbed Lily's arm tightly and turned on the spot. The funny and uncomfortable sensation of her body being squeezed through a tube happened before it all disappeared and felt her whole weight and more fall onto the ground. Lily almost fell over from the sheer impact and strength of the apparition but Albus, still managing to stand tall and still despite being assaulted a few hours ago, continued to hold Lily in an iron grip.

Lily was a little disorientated but when she found herself in a familiar house she shook her head immediately. It was empty but it was recognisable to her immediately.

"No! Al! This will be the _first_ place he'd look for us!" Lily cried.

"Yes, I know. We need to shake him off our trail," Albus said patiently.

How was it that he could suddenly be calm? Albus has yet to cease amazing her.

Albus apparated them somewhere else. This time it was cold and made both of them shiver.

"This place is spooky," Lily said, staring into the water that seemed to be infested with human like bodies just waiting for a reason to emerge.

Albus gave a grim smile, disapparated and appeared somewhere else.

"Where are we this time?"

"Australia. Aunt Hermione's parents live across the street."

"They don't remember about Aunt Hermione, do they?"

Albus didn't answer for a moment.

"Hard to tell," Albus said.

A moment later they landed outside a street lined with beautiful houses. The smell of the sea, the warmth of the sun and the light breezing air consumed her senses. But she wasn't able to appreciate the place what with feeling dizzy and sick.

"Where...?"

"Malfoy's grandmother's villa," Albus replied smoothly.

Lily squinted up at the, yes, expensive and luxurious villa before using the other visual cues around her to determine where the villa was.

"The one in France?" Lily guessed.

"The very one," Albus said with a small nod.

"Wait, you've been here before?"

Albus smiled sadly but didn't say anything as he disapparated and apparated somewhere else.

Albus apparated again and again and again. It made Lily's head spin and her stomach contract painfully. It went on and on until Lily shouted, "Stop!"

Suddenly they landed and stayed in the same location. Albus still had a firm grip on Lily's arm which she was thankful for. If it weren't for that arm, she wouldn't have been able to walk straight and be sprawled on the ground. She could see, in her warping vision, that Albus was concerned.

"Lily?"

Lily couldn't reply. She stumbled away from Albus, fell on all fours and threw up on the black pitchmen road. She felt a hand on her back and then strong arms carried her somewhere when she was done. It wasn't more than five minutes when she was being lowered on something soft and warm. The hand returned but lay gently on top of her stomach.

"Does it hurt?" Albus's soft silky voice fell lightly on her ears.

Lily whimpered and it seemed that was all Albus needed for he began feeding warm, calming magic through to her and she felt herself relax.

"Thanks," Lily rasped.

"It was nothing," Albus said, shrugging.

The hand lifted away before being placed on her forehead.

"You are warming up," Albus murmured.

"Ugh. I still feel sick."

"I am sorry," Albus said sincerely, "I should have gone a bit more slowly with the travelling. I would try and lower your temperature but I am already magically exhausted and I do not want to risk mudding your mind."

There was a pregnant pause where they simply stared at each other.  
>"Don't you feel sick?" Lily asked suddenly, peering up at Albus curiously, "At all?"<p>

Albus looked away and moved from her side.

"I have a high tolerance of such things," Albus replied in monotone from somewhere else in the room.

Lily decided not to press since his tone indicated he didn't want to talk and Lily wasn't feeling well enough to confront the issue head long for a long period of time.

"Where are we?" Lily inquired as she tried to take in her surroundings in the dim lit room.

"A house in Clapham," Albus said, "Empty of course. We will be able to stay here for a few days."

Lily frowned and wondered many things such as how he knew it would be empty and why he knew the place well enough to house in it while their raging father is on the loose. Albus came back and placed a small cool towel on her forehead. She saw the ring on Albus's middle finger with the cracked jewel shine in the beam of moon light. That ring, she remembered, was found in the Forbidden Forest when Albus was in his seventh year and she was in her fifth. It was a curious little thing. Albus didn't know how to work it and neither did Lily but both of them had felt the magic from the Resurrection Stone that Albus decided to keep it for further research. She blinked a few times before focusing on Albus again.

"Lay your mind to rest and allow me to do the thinking," Albus said, sounding slightly amused, pulling the covers up to Lily's chin, "I will keep watch."

Lily kicked the covers off and glared up at Albus.

"Albus Severus Potter, you should be the one resting!"

Albus sighed and pulled the covers back over her before readjusting the folded towel.

"I have rested. Five hours of sleep is enough to sustain me for approximately forty hours."

"A person needs at least eight hours of sleep each night to function well!" Lily argued.

"Maybe for you. But for me, that is too much sleep. I absolutely dislike the lazed feeling I have after seven hours of sleeping."

"Hmm," Lily hummed, not convinced, "Well, if you end up falling asleep during the day, I'll know you were lying."

"We will see," Albus said.

Then she felt a hand ruffling her long mane.

"Hey!" Lily shouted, swatting Albus's hand playfully, "No ruffling! I'm only two years younger than you!"

Albus chuckled. Lily then heard Albus bare feet pad across the room and then of him sitting down on a creaky chair. It was silent for a moment where no movement was heard. Lily wondered if her brother was asleep. It was a bit strange to not say goodnight, just because they weren't sleeping in the same house they usually would.

"'Night Al," Lily said.

Almost immediately Albus replied warmly, "Good night, Lils."

And then she drifted off to sleep. But she didn't get to sleep long before a few hours later she was shaken awake by a frantic Albus and that they were both in a strange unrecognisable bedroom.

"Lily! Wake up!" Albus shouted, "We have to go! Father found us!"

"What? How did he find us?" Lily asked groggily.

"That wand you disarmed from him, the Elder wand, he had placed a tracking charm on it."

"What?" Lily shouted, feeling guilty and ashamed.

"I know you're both in there!" a muffled voice shouted outside the front door.

It sounded crazed and it shook Lily to the bone.

"Do not worry. I have removed all of the charms he had placed on our belongings;" Albus said calmly, "The charm was only on the wand so... Get up! Let's go!" Albus screamed the last.

Lily pushed the covers off of her and jumped off the bed. Albus didn't give her time to settle her feet on the ground right since he grabbed her, pulled her close to his body and turned on the spot just as when the front door was heard being chopped down by an axe.

A moment later they found themselves standing infront of a red telephone box in the dark.

"Al? What...?"

"We will hide in the Ministry of Magic."

Lily couldn't comprehend his words for a moment.

"Are you insane?" Lily shouted.

Albus looked up and down the street before smiling.

"Well, while we could be in trouble, we would have more luck hiding here without being caught. Father dislikes going to work so he works at home, does he not?" Albus turned back to Lily. "Do you have the Cloak?"  
>Lily pulled out the Invisibility Cloak from her pouch before throwing it over them. They were invisible immediately and the cloak even managed to reach down to their feet.<p>

"Wow," Lily said.

"Come on," Albus urged, opening the door and stepping in.

Lily looked worried but followed her brother anyways and closed the door behind her.

"Welcome to the Ministry of Magic," a cool woman's voice sounded, "Please state your name and business."

"Salazar Prince and Rowena Prewitt. We're visiting." Albus said firmly and clearly.

"Thank you. Visitors, please take your badges and attach them to the front of your robes."

Two badges appeared in the metal chute where returned coins would normally appear. Albus grabbed then and handed one to Lily. Lily took hers and attached it to the front of her jacket.

"I will show you where I use to work," Albus said, attaching his badge to the front of his robe.

The cool woman's voice sounded again, talking about a check of some sort, before the telephone box shuddered and then the pavement rose up.

It turned out that he use to work in the Department of Mysteries as an Unspeakable. It was empty at this time. A pin could drop and nobody else would be around to come and see what made it fall.

"Why did you never tell me?" Lily asked, looking around in awe, "This is an impressive position, Al! You're probably the youngest Unspeakable the Ministry had allowed! My brother; an Unspeakable!"

Albus shrugged his shoulders as though it was nothing.

"I would have but if I did at the time, you would have told father and your friends and father would have done anything in his power to have my supervisor fire me." Lily wanted to tell him that she wouldn't have told anyone but he continued talking, "I ended up resigning after May this year. I was still constantly living in fear that father would find out," Albus said before sounding absolutely cold, "I hate that man. I hate how he makes me feel so weak. I cannot believe that I am still scared of him. He is no father of mine."

"It's natural to be scared of him after all he has put you through and the things he had done to you," Lily said understandably, "He's absolutely vile, how he can be so two-faced. I hate him too."

"You should not hate him, Lily. He is your father and he cares for you a lot."

"So? Why can't I hate him? Just because he's my father doesn't give him to right to treat me nice and treat you horribly. He hurt someone I love dearly because he felt like it. I want nothing more to do with him. Nothing."

"If that is what you want," Albus said quietly.

"That's how I _feel_!" Lily told Albus strongly, grabbing his hand into hers and squeezing it, "I love you, Al and nothing is going to change that."

Albus glanced at their hands then up at Lily before squeezing her hand gently and saying softly, "I love you too, Lils."

They walked around, through different chambers holding strange and unseen before inventions. Some were beautiful but according to Albus they were deadly and the ones that looked deadly were ten times its deadliness which caused Lily to laugh out loud and didn't stop when Albus was giving her a light Snape-like scowl.

"Where does this door lead to?" Lily asked when she noticed they hadn't tried it.

"It is best to not see what is behind it..." Albus said.

"Why? We've been in the Time Chamber."

"This leads to the Death Chamber, Lily."

"What's so bad about death?"

"We die eventually, since that is life for us, but we do not need to die now," Albus murmured.

Lily frowned, "I know that we're _mortal_ but..."

Lily turned quickly to regard Albus. He looked very solemn and didn't meet her eyes.

"What? I don't understand," Lily said, "Can't you just show me? Al?"

Albus's brilliant green eyes met Lily's sharp brown ones.

"I will show you to satisfy your curiosity," Albus said quietly in reluctance, "But do not look at the arch too long."

Together, they walked into the chamber. There was a large arch on a large dais. It looked terribly ancient. The air around it was cold and the silence seemed to magnify the closer they approached.

"I don't get it. It's just an arch," Lily said but she felt herself becoming curious about it.

She looked at Albus and saw him looking up at the arch, his eyes glazed and licking his dry lips. She whipped her head back to the arch when she heard murmurs and voices behind it.

"Al, what is it?" she asked, beginning to feel frightened.

"This is The Veil, the archway to Death," Albus explained, "Instant death to the living..."

"It's beautiful," Lily whispered.

"It should not be," Albus said.

"Can't we..?" Lily asked, waving her free hand over to the Veil.

"No," Albus said abruptly and began tugging Lily back to the exit, "We are already too close. You have so much more to live for and I will never forgive myse-. LILY!"

Lily pulled out of Albus's grasp and ran out from under the Cloak to the opposite way, towards the Veil.

"LILY! NO!" Albus cried desperately, running after her with the Cloak taken off and clutched in his grasp, "LILY LUNA POTTER! Y-YOU LISTEN TO ME!"

Lily stepped onto the dais and came to stop just metres away from the Veil. She could hear the whispers and murmurs from the other side of the drapery. It looked like it was breathing, the way it was flapping slightly.

"Hello?" Lily called and then asked somewhat hesitantly, "Mum?"

The whispers and murmurs grew stronger, as though they wanted to speak to her. Lily wondered if her mother really was behind the veil, waiting for her, wanting to speak to her. She stared at the tattered black curtain as it fluttered. She could almost feel her mother close. She missed her a lot. She felt tears forming in the corner of her eyes. She missed mum so much. If only she stayed, if only she took her and Albus away from Mr Potter... She missed her perfume, her hugs, her warmth, her cooking, her smiles... Lily took a step forward, unaware that Albus was by her side and tugging fruitlessly away from the Veil.

"Lily! Lily please. Please... Please listen to me..." Albus begged hopelessly, his free hand held onto her one, pulling.

"Al. I can hear her," Lily said dreamily, "Its mum. Don't you want to see her again? Don't you miss her?"

A sob escaped Albus's lips, his efforts to drag her away weakening.

"Yes," Albus admitted, "I miss her every day. But she would have wanted you to live and be happy not die!"

"Albus. Look at the Veil." Lily said softly.

Albus turned and felt his resolve break.

"Mother," Albus whispered, his voice cracked.

The whispers and murmurs grew stronger, louder, but still they could not hear any clear words from behind it.

"She's just on the other side," Lily said, sounding convinced of the fact, "All we have to do is walk in."

Albus was about to comply but shook his head.

"No. No Lily," he said stiffly, looking confused, "It is the enchantments doing the talking. Shake it off, Lily!"

"You said I have still have so much to live for," Lily said quietly, "I haven't truly lived ever since dad first hurt mum. I was only five but I remembered it happening. To be honest, I was scared for my life as much as for yours. He already killed mum. He is hurting you constantly. And nobody would listen t o a bad word we say about dad because he's Harry Potter, the Saviour of the Wizarding World and he can't be a bad person. But he is and nobody knows half of it. I am still scared that he would turn on me and hurt me the way he had hurt mum when I am of age because I look so much like mum. But I hid it well, hadn't I? Pretending to be happy all the time, confident and brave but I could see no future for me. Nobody would want to marry me with a father like ours. And dad would eventually know where I go even though I don't tell him. I know I haven't had it as bad as you had, Al, but it feels horrible. And I can't imagine how it must feel for you, how you are treated. I can't think properly most days or do anything the way I wanted. I don't know what I want to be, what to become. I feel so alone except, for now, I still have you. But what happens when no help comes, when we can't defend ourselves due to fear when we're confronted by him? What if you die before I do or I die first? We would have no-one and that would be even worse."

"Lils..." Albus said tearfully, his voice sounded constricted.

"It's okay, Al. You don't need to say anything. I promise everything is going to be okay."

She took another step forward, pulling Albus with her.

"Close your eyes, Al." Lily said softly, "No matter what, we will always be together."

Albus felt his eyes flutter closed on their own accord. Lily closed her eyes too. She smiled and leaned forward with Albus following after. She felt herself sinking but didn't feel scared because she has Albus by her side.

**The End **

* * *

><p>Edited: 0906/2011

Update: I've given up on Past Our Past. I've planned what would happen in the future but it felt too much of a meddler fic.


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